New Horizons

OPINION

When serious attention turns early next year to redevelopment along U.S. Highway 17-92, among the first questions to be settled will be: How high?

High, as in the maximum height new buildings will be allowed on Seminole's main drag.

The question calls for open minds. That's not to say go skyscraper wild, mind you. But holding to the phony 35-foot maximum many continue to embrace is to place in concrete a hurdle in the path of controlling growth.

Phony? Yes. Many buildings in the county already stand well above that mark; many have been approved.

Of course, no one wants a 10-story building intruding on a residential area. No one's suggesting that. But properly done, such buildings are not intrusive. Altamonte Springs' seven-story Galloway Building, set among tall trees, is a good example of that.

To hold to the magic of three stories, tops, is to encourage urban sprawl. That not only reduces open areas, but increases the cost of urban services. More fire and police stations are needed; water and sewer lines are longer. Higher densities in commercial areas also put more destinations within walking distance and can help reduce traffic problems.

Used as a carrot, taller limits in reasonable locations also can help get builder concessions such as setbacks, room for frontage roads, more green space. It's a trade-off that serves everyone.

Redevelopment of the highway is the brainchild of the Greater Seminole County Chamber of Commerce. Hopes are that the county and five cities directly affected will join in the effort. Thus far, that seems a given.

And why not? No roadway links so much of the county and so many of its citizens. To leave it as it is, for the most part a tattered and seedy strip, is an affront to what this county could be.